The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Why cyber analysts are crucial in protecting public infrastructure with Michael Hamilton from PISCES International [#308] Apr 08, 2026

Show notes

Michael Hamilton, Chief Technology Officer at PISCES International, joins us to discuss the benefits of providing real world experience to students while they protect existing public infrastructure. The resilient future of local government security rests in our ability to adapt to changing threats and adopt new technologies, including AI.

Learn more at https://pisces-intl.org/

30 years in Information Security as a practitioner, entrepreneur, consultant, and in executive management. Direct experience in retail, manufacturing, government, defense, academic, semiconductor, energy, law enforcement, transportation, publishing and financial sectors - from Fortune 1 to small nonprofits.

Formerly: Policy Advisor to Washington State, Chief Information Security Officer for the City of Seattle, and Managing Consultant for VeriSign Global Security Consulting. Former Vice-Chair of the DHS State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Government Coordinating Council.

Currently: Field CISO, Lumifi Cyber

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Iran’s IRGC threatens U.S. tech companies, FBI Director hacked, Venom Stealer & Hasbro cyber attack / Intel Chat [#307] Apr 06, 2026

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In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Core, or the IRGC, announced that it plans to begin attacks on more than a dozen American technology companies operating across the middle east, starting after 8pm Tiran time on April 1st.
A pro-Iranian hacking group, known as Hendala, has claimed responsibility for breaching a personal account belonging to FBI Director, Kash Patel.
A newly discovered malware-as-a-service platform called Venom Stealer is automating the creation and deployment of quick-fix social engineering attacks, significantly lowering the barrier for cyber criminals.
Toy and entertainment company, Hasbro, disclosed that it experienced a cyber attack that disrupted some of its internal operations, in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Malicious geopolitical cyber activity, cyberattacks tied to conflict in Iran, open source supply chain attack & AI autonomous espionage / Intel Chat [#306] Mar 30, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we discuss some intel being shared in the LimaCharlie community.

Since the onset of the conflict in the Gulf region, cybersecurity researchers have observed a noticeable rise in malicious cyber activity tied to geopolitical events.
Unit 42 researchers are warning about an increased risk of destructive cyberattacks tied to the conflict involving Iran.
The hacking group known as TeamPCP has expanded a large-scale supply chain campaign targeting widely used open source software ecosystems.
In September 2025, Anthropic disclosed an incident in which a state-sponsored threat actor used an AI coding agent to conduct an autonomous cyber espionage campaign targeting 30 organizations worldwide.

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What makes a strong security team? With Andrew Cook from Recon InfoSec / Defender Fridays [#305] Mar 27, 2026

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This week on Defender Friday we are joined by Andrew Cook, CTO of Recon InfoSec, to talk about what it means to build a strong security team and why hiring builders is always a good bet.

As the CTO of Recon InfoSec, a leading provider of managed security operations, Andrew oversees the technical vision, strategy, and execution of their services and solutions. He has more than a decade of experience in threat hunting, digital forensics, network defense, and capability development.

Andrew's mission is to provide customers with the expertise they need to confidently and effectively respond to incidents, protect their organizations, and enhance their resilience. He has a proven track record of delivering high-quality results, leading and mentoring teams, and collaborating with partners across the industry and the government. Andrew is also a former Air Force officer, with national-level contributions and a passion for technical leadership.

Learn more at reconinfosec.com

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